GLENDALE — Subtle reminders are constant in the life of Encino Little League 12-and-under All-Stars coach Brandon Sonnier.
Sonnier, a filmmaker and television and film producer, finishes picking up buckets of balls and places them into his family’s suburban. He drives a short distance to throw batting practice with a prosthetic limb over his right leg.
Sonnier looks around and sees the family he has built as a father of three sons, Jonah, Asher and Isaac, and daughter, Lena, with his wife, Sarah.
Now he’s a surrogate uncle to 11 players he’s mentoring with dreams of heading to Williamsport for the Little League World Series. Encino drew one step closer after winning the California District 2 title in Glendale last Tuesday night.
“Baseball and coaching saved my life,” Sonnier says. “It gave me something to get up and get out and figure how to walk and to be out here for my kids.”
An accident nearly killed Sonnier in 2019 while he was working on the set of the action crime television series “LA’s Finest,” starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba in Long Beach. A stunt car crash scene went horribly wrong. Two cars collided with a shipping container. Sonnier avoided the collision, but the shipping container fell on his leg.
Nearly 8,000 pounds of metal and force landed on Sonnier’s right foot. He was trapped for 25 minutes before emergency crews finally lifted him to safety and to a nearby emergency room.
“In that moment, everything about my life changed,” Sonnier said. “It remains changed. That version of my life ended in that moment. But change doesn’t mean bad and that’s what I had to learn. That took a long time to learn and a lot of that I had to learn through my wife and my family.
A few days later, Sonnier came to the decision to have his entire right leg amputated. Asher, who hits fourth in the lineup and plays first base for the Encino All-Stars was 4 years old at the time of his father’s accident.
“It was scary at first because we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” Asher said.
Sarah had always been Sonnier’s anchor during the highs and lows that naturally come when finding and creating work as a filmmaker and producer. When Sonnier needed help, Sarah stepped up and provided the care he needed while raising the children.
“She was my guide, my savior and my strength,” Sonnier said.
He was back coaching within two weeks and Sarah made arrangements to take Sonnier to Encino Little League. He was first in a wheelchair, then used a knee scooter and crutches, before walking with a prosthetic limb within eight weeks.
No matter how much pain Sonnier was in, he was going to reclaim his life and be an example to his children.
“We believe in following through, we believe in fulfilling your commitments and we love baseball,” Sonnier said. “It was a perfect storm for things to line up, and it was an accident. But those things happen and we have to keep moving forward. You got to get up.”
In learning to walk, Sonnier is teaching his Encino All-Star team competitive endurance after advancing to the Southern California Divisional State Tournament in Aliso Viejo.
Sonnier had his players circle around him and had each member say what they contributed to help the team win 10-0 in a five-inning mercy rule over Crescenta Valley on Sunday, July 12.
The standout was shortstop Vander Lins, who hit two home runs from the leadoff spot, and then there was the catch in center field by Chris Amussen, who insisted on playing a 6 p.m. game on an empty stomach. Sonnier made sure his team knew every out, base taken and cheer from the clubhouse mattered.
Each player flashed a beaming smile by the end of the pep talk, including Asher, who was among the few who didn’t reach base that game. Asher hit a two-run home run in the section championship against Quartz Hill two days later.
“Every morning before I go to school, he tells me to first be kind, second to work hard and third to have fun,” Asher said. “And that’s always been stuck in my head with what he says.”
Sonnier has leaned on his experience as a high school basketball player who grew up in Houston, and he’s been a longtime Houston Astros fan.
He often receives scoffs from Los Angeles natives because of the methods used by the Astros to win the 2017 World Series. But once players, parents and fellow coaches get to know him, the Houston fandom is forgotten and the discussions of baseball begin. Sonnier has read “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams and has become immersed in the game since Jonah, his oldest son, asked him if he could play t-ball in 2016.
Baseball has become the family obsession ever since, and Sonnier has taken on as many coaching roles as possible through Encino Little League.
“He always has our team right,” Lins said. “If I mess up, he makes one fix and it makes it way easier.”
Sonnier acknowledged the conflicts that exist in his mind and body that he endures each morning. The hardship when he straps on his prosthetic leg and experiences phantom limb sensation. It’s there. But he remembers the opportunity he has as well. The chance to change his wife, his sons’ and daughter’s lives and the playful 12-year-olds who call him Coach at Encino Little League.
“In those moments and even now, you don’t know what it is you’re going to have to go through,” Sonnier said. “Every day is different, every day is a challenge and every day is filled with pain. It hurts. Every day, it’s filled with loss. (My) leg is gone. Every day is filled with struggle, but you can’t let those things define you. Every day is filled with overcoming, bravery, filled with joy.”
More local baseball coverage
Rolling Hills Prep baseball rolls with adversity during historic run
Birmingham pitcher honors late grandfather in win to reach Dodger Stadium